1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to golf club covers and more particularly relates to golf club head covers for fairway/driver-woods clubs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to cover wood and iron golf club heads including adjacent shank portions, with various types of covers made from various types of material to protect the club head against damage and deterioration. Typically, such golf club headcovers are made from the following various types of materials: knitted or woven textile materials including slip-on sox-type covers, semi-flexible material such as leather, nylon and the like and even more flexible materials such as slip-on or hinge-type molded plastic headcovers. The slip-on molded plastic covers are generally provided with closed slotted side walls which open to permit insertion of a golf club in the headcover itself. The hinge-type molded plastic covers have two mating half sections formed in the general shape of a golf club head, with an integral hinge extending therebetween and snap fastener means for securing the two halves to one another for containing a golf club head therein.
All of the foregoing have been used quite effectively in protecting both wood head and iron head golf clubs from damage and deterioration, and yet, they all have many of the same inherent disadvantages. One of the problems is that the prior art golf club headcovers are not built to last. Particularly in the case of knitted or woven textile materials and semi-flexible materials, they have a tendency to tear or come apart or crack during heavy use. While the slip-on and hinge-type molded plastic cover discussed above are more durable and long lasting, they have been used only on iron head golf clubs. Thus there has been a long felt need for a durable and long lasting headcover which is capable for use with fairway/driver woods/metal protective covers.
Protective devices for golf club heads have been described. U.S. Pat. No. RE 35,899 to Cirone discloses a golf club cover for iron golf clubs formed of an elastic, rubber material such as neoprene. The set of iron covers has one size and such that a snug fit with any of the irons of a set of golf clubs is ensured. U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,050 to Suk discloses a one size fits all golf club cover for woods which has a transparent insert for viewing the number of the golf club.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,884 to Diener et al discloses a molded golf club headcover which includes a headcover for substantially surrounding the golf club head and an integral skirt section extending from the golf club headcover. The integral skirt section is formed with a flexible and resilient circumferential wall that is configured, arranged and dimensioned to deform and then return to its original shape upon the insertion and removal of a golf club headcover to a golf club head when assembled. U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,379 to Hoyt et al discloses an enlarged iron cover which fits over the head of irons of different sizes. The cover section includes an internal cavity with an enlarged open mouth through which the head passes upon placing the cover section over the head and a protector section which covers at least partially the hosel members of the shaft when the head is received within the cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,157 to Gaffney discloses a head cover having a closed upper end and an open lower end. The shaft protector has closure elements for closing the shaft protector around a shaft of a golf club.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,293 to Serpa discloses a golf club cover that includes an uncovered aperture for viewing the club head identification markings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,081 to Aldcrof et al discloses an enlarged cover section which fits over the head of irons of different sizes. The cover has an enlarged open mouth through which the head passes and a protector section which partially covers the hosel member of the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,516 to Chang discloses a molded head sheath comprising a head-collaring portion in the shape of a club head and a sleeve-collaring portion in shape of a king pipe with a downward opening. Two outward expanded guide strips are provided at the sleeve-collaring portion.
Presently on the market, several golf club headcovers are offered: polyester fur and fabric combination, often with foam padding and knitted materials attached to protect the shaft of the club; cylindrical shaped covers in suede (and synthetic equivalents), with foam padding, and knitted materials attached to protect the shaft of the club; covers constructed of heavy knitted materials entirely; covers that are constructed of non-elastic woven materials with padding; and covers that are constructed of non-elastic woven materials combined with rubber (or other elastic materials) that stretch in isolated places.
Additionally, identification of clubs while covered was considered a drawback to previous club covers. Another patent holder designed a series of tags to be clipped onto the covers in order to more easily identify the clubs, however, that required maintenance, removal and re-application of the tags, as the club, the cover was utilized for, changed. Other patents contemplated see-through windows on the covers which allowed the user to see the actual head of the club. These windows were less protective than the surrounding material, and often obscured with age and/or use. The club covers described herein, are unique in that numbers assigned to the covers (clubs), on the labels, will never need to be replaced. Due to the extreme elasticity of the material utilized in the manufacture of the instant covers, the covers will stretch to accommodate the largest of the fairway woods or metals heads.
The present invention relates to golf club covers for fairway/driver-woods. The invention is designed to provide coverage for a variety of golf clubs, generally known as xe2x80x9cwood driverxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmetal driverxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cfairway woodsxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cfairway metalsxe2x80x9d. These clubs are generally numbered 1 (driver), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. These clubs, as the names suggest, may be made out of wood or metal. Any reference to xe2x80x9cclubsxe2x80x9d in this application refers to the clubs described directly above.
Equipment and accessories for the sport of golf, specifically fairway drivers and woods are notoriously expensive and can be difficult to maintain. The combination of short irons, and tall woods in a golf bag, allows the clubs to knock together and with objects outside of the golf bag. These collisions result in dents, chips and nicks on both the head and the shaft of the golf clubs. These defects affect the performance of the clubs.
For the above reason, covers for the golf club heads and shafts have been developed, however, none of the prior golf club head covers accomplished the following goals: removal and application with one free hand; construction with 100% rubberized materials that are stretchable for maximum contouring, and reduction of cover bulkiness, providing more room in the golf bag; construction with 100% neoprene, offering high performance and resistance to compression, in that the padding does not lose thickness through repeated usage; shaped and sized to fit each club, to reduce bulkiness, encourage nesting, and distinguishes club size and simplifies identification of each club; protection of the shaft with the neoprene padding, designed to brush the opening edge of the golf bag, and prevent crowding by the neoprene shaft covering into the bag itself; providing enough stretch in the construction material of the covers, to provide one size per club regardless of the maker or design of the club; constructed with materials that allow the cover to be folded and placed into a pant or golf bag pocket, and still return into the original design shape. The design of the covers captures the unique qualities of the component material (neoprene) and the advantages of a longer, more fitting club cover. Further, the design focuses on specific problems of application and versatility to make these covers easy to apply to the club, and versatile, due to their extensive stretch.